Machine-to-Machine (M2M) service refers to technologies that allow communication between devices (wireless or wired) through an access network, or between a device and a server that may be carried out without any human interaction. For example, M2M uses a device (such as a sensor or meter) to capture an event (such as temperature, inventory level, etc.), which is relayed through a network (wireless, wired or hybrid) to an application (software program) that translates the captured event into meaningful information (for example, items need to be restocked). Such communication was originally accomplished by having a remote network of machines relay information back to a central hub for analysis, which would then be rerouted into a system like a personal computer.
Modern M2M communication has expanded beyond a one-to-one connection and changed into a system of networks that transmits data to personal appliances. The expansion of wireless networks across the world has made it far easier for M2M communication to take place has lessened the amount of power and time necessary for information to be communicated between machines.
With support for M2M devices, however, there can be order of magnitude increase in number of devices supported by the network. While the majority of M2M devices may only report small amounts of data infrequently, the large numbers of M2M devices, such as Smart Meters (SMs), give rise to potential “traffic burst” scenarios that arise when large numbers of M2M devices report or react to a common event, such as a large number of SMs reporting a power outage, a large number of sensors reporting an earthquake, and the like. Regardless of the triggering event, such scenarios may lead to a large number of M2M devices simultaneously or near simultaneously trying to access the system to report the same event, thereby possibly degrading network performance.